The wish list says it all

If you want to know how near or how far people are from their ideal situation, a very good tool or approach is to ask them to write their honest to goodness “Wish list” of what they feel or believe they need in order to get the job done, achieve their goal, or perhaps be happier in life or at work.

I recently did that with a high ranking government official in order to get an idea and also to give the public an idea of what this particular agency was in need of in order to do a better job. You might find this interesting because the agency is none other than the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and one of their most important responsibility is to manage traffic all over Metro Manila. As most of us already know, the quality of traffic management greatly affects our quality of life, economic productivity and can even impact political and popularity ratings of the government.

When I actually read through the wish list I realized that you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that the MMDA is not equipped to do what they need to or are expected to do in terms of logistics versus requirements because they have not been given the tools to do so. Here below is a quickly listed Wish List that MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino sent in response to my request:

1. Full compliment of 5000 Traffic Personnel (we have 1,800).

2. Seat at the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board.

3. Prior clearance prior to issuance of terminal permit by LGU.

4. 150 CCTV

5. 1,500 Handheld Radios

6. 100 Motorcycles

7. 25 Mobile Patrol Units

8. 31 Footbridges*

9. Hazard pay for traffic enforcers (MC No. 01, Series of 2009)

10. Incentive pay for traffic enforcers based on apprehension

11. Improvement of district offices

12. Traffic Academy at Metrobase after its transfer to ITSS Building

13. Traffic Academy to be established as MMDA Field Office

14. Facilitate with dispatch the regular/ permanent employment of job order traffic enforcers

15. Sufficient gas allocation and regular maintenance of equipment and motor vehicles

*Proposed Pedestrian Footbridges

1. Sgt. Rivera Avenue (C-3) - A. Bonifacio Avenue, Caloocan City; 2. Sergio Osmeña Highway - San Andres St., Manila City; 3. SSH-Sucat Road, Parañaque City;

4. Aurora Blvd. - Anonas Street, Quezon City; 5. Mindanao Avenue - Congressional Avenue Intersection, 6. along Quezon Avenue - Scout Chuatoco St. (4 - 6 all in Quezon City);

7. Along R-10 Near C-3 Road (28m); 8. along R-10 after C-3 Road (28m); 9. along R-10 After East Spine Road (28m), Manila City, 10. along R-10 — Makro (44m), 11. Along R-10 — Vitas (Bonifacio St.) (44m); 12. along R10 — Zaragosa (184m), 7 - 12 all in Manila;

13. Along McArthur Highway P. Valenzuela (26m), 14. along McArthur Highway Tamaraw Hill Road (26m), 15. along McArthur Highway San Vicente St. (26m), 16. along McArthur Highway Maysan Road (26m), 13. to 16. all in Valenzuela City:

17. Along Sucat Road — Multinational Village (30m), 18. along Sucat St. James Sucat Road (Shopwise) (29m), 17. and 18. both in Parañaque City;

19. Along A. Bonifacio — Barangka Elem. School (44.51m), Marikina City; 20. along Quirino Highway — infront of ABC 5 (19m), Quezon City;

21. Along Dr. Santos Ave. — Kadesang Segundo (Valley II) (100m); 22. Along Dr. Santos Ave. — N. Lopez Ave. (30m); 23. along Dr. Santos Ave. — President Ave. (102m), 21. - 23. all in Paranaque City;

24. Along Moriones — Sta. Maria (108m), Manila City; 25. along Butis Elisco Road (39.30m), Pasig City; 26. Mini Park, Barangay Western Bicutan (60m), Taguig City;

27. NAIA Pascor Drive (44.50m), 28. Taft Ave. — Redemptorist (57m), both in Pasay City;

29. Ramon Magsaysay - SM Centerpoint Extension (78m), Manila City; 30. C-3 - Dagat-dagatan (113m), Malabon City; 31. Airmen’s Village —12th Street (45m), Pasay City

I’ve lost count of how many cities, towns and municipalities are under the MMDA, but the first thing this wish list tells me is that truthfully there are not enough legitimate MMDA enforcers to do the job. If you don’t even have half the number of traffic enforcers that you need to manage the traffic, is it a surprise that we constantly have traffic jams? Even if you have 2,500 or 5,000 traffic enforcers, all of them need to be able to quickly communicate traffic situations and when managing traffic flow, they need constant communication. Why should lowly paid enforcers be expected to use their personal cellphones and their precious one-day unli loads to do the job!

I’m glad that Chairman Tolentino emailed me his wish list because it brings to our attention the fact that YES the MMDA must have representation at the LTFRB so that the MMDA can advise or oppose plans that would cause more traffic problems. In same manner, it surprises me that the MMDA has no mandate to require prior clearance for public utility terminals. This is a basic need and logical process for traffic management.

Now we know why the MMDA can’t chase after traffic offenders, they don’t have the necessary motorcycles to do the job! It’s great when Netizens go up in arms against an abusive individual who assaults an MMDA enforcer, but unless something dramatic pops up on Facebook or Youtube, we all lose sight of the fact that traffic enforcement is a hazardous job and as government employees, THEY TOO deserve hazard pay and be paid promptly. If you don’t agree try telling an errant jeepney driver how to drive properly several times, then you’ll quickly realize that being an MMDA traffic enforcer can be hazardous to your life!

Interestingly, the National Government and the DPWH clearly have a lot to catch up on in terms of the foot bridges because this pertains to HUMAN SAFETY. People first before reblockings.

I can go on and on about how realistic and necessary everything on the wish list is and I’m sure anyone who has management experience will realize that it is more a Very Needed List. But the one thing that that should make sense of it all is what the JICA, or was it ADB, study revealed that we lose billions of pesos annually just from being stuck in traffic. We also now know that billions of pesos have been lost because of different scams to steal money through the pork barrel system. The MMDA NEEDS LIST should not be a Wish List, whether through Malacañang, Congress or even private support and donations, as well as help of motoring media, we need to make the Needs List come true or stay stuck dreaming of better days on EDSA and around Metro Manila.